Chapter 2
Elena woke to a hand over her mouth. Her eyes flew open and she started to thrash wildly. Jolts of pure panic shot through her and she felt her heart go into overdrive as her hand connected with the lamp on her nightstand and she heard glass shatter. Fingers curled tightly around her neck and suddenly she was staring into icy blue eyes. It was dark but the moon was bright and she could just make out the man hovering above her. His beautiful, chiseled face was cold and his perfect lips were twisted into a cruel sneer.
"Stop moving and don't make a sound" he commanded and removed his hand from her mouth.
She didn't know why but she stopped. She couldn't move and he was staring, no not staring, he was drinking her in with his eyes. They swept down her body and she blushed. It was hot out and she only wore her pajama shorts and a tank top.
"If I couldn't hear your heart hammering in your chest, I'd never believe you weren't her" he said quietly.
How could he possibly hear my heart? Maybe it really is going to beat out of my chest she thought, panicked.
When he produced a syringe she tried to scream but her mouth wouldn't make any sound.
"Sweet dreams" he said as he pushed the needle into her arm.
She felt herself being lifted and then everything was black.
When she woke again she knew right away she wasn't in her own room. Her eyes felt so heavy and it took everything she had to pry them open. She had to blink a few times before she could even hold them open. Sitting up in the very comfortable bed, she tried to take in her surroundings. She was in a bedroom and it was still dark outside. Her head felt fuzzy and the room started to spin when she moved her head. Determined to get up and inspect the room, she closed her eyes, breathed deeply, and counted to ten. She had to do it twice before her eyes would focus but she pushed herself around so she sat on the edge of the bed with her toes touching the floor. Another wave of dizziness hit her so she counted to ten a third time and forced herself to look around the room. Her heart sank when she spied the large deadbolt on the door. Its surface was flat and it was almost certainly locked from the outside. She made her way slowly to the door and jiggled the handle to be sure. It was, in fact, locked tight. The window on the other side of the bed was big and she assumed it would be locked as well, but she tried it anyway.
"Damn" she muttered, finding thick panes that didn't appear to have any way to open them at all.
Fear started to set in and she crossed her arms over her chest. She took more deep breaths and tried to think of a reason someone would kidnap her. Try as she might she could think of nothing but the electric blue eyes that had stared into hers before the drug knocked her out. The memory made her heart pound and her hands shake. She nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of his voice behind her.
"Hello, Elena."
Damon had been debating on whether or not to going inside the room for the better part of ten minutes. The sounds of her stirring had drawn him to the very door he'd promised he would do his best to avoid. Though he couldn't say he was surprised to find himself standing here. That face he thought. It was uncanny and he had to know what she was like. The wild jumping of her heart made up his mind for him. Silently, he unlocked the door and entered the room undetected. He smirked when she started at his greeting. Her whole body tensed up and he heard her breath hitch before she twirled around to face him. To his surprise, she didn't scream or try to run. She stood her ground and met his eyes with determination. He decided she was either very brave or very stupid. Maybe a little of both.
"I didn't mean to scare you" he lied as he advanced on her.
"Yes you did" she said and took a step back.
The smirk returned and in the blink of an eye he was across the room in front of her. She gasped and leaned away from him.
"You're right. I did" he was inches from her face when he breathed the words, but her gaze never wavered from his.
He leaned back but he was still invading her personal space.
"Do you know what I am?" he asked.
"You're the man who kidnapped me?" she replied, genuinely befuddled.
"Grayson Gilbert is a fool" he chuckled and reached out to touch her cheek.
She flinched for the first time and her expression turned angry.
"Don't talk about my uncle!" she snapped at him.
His hand shot up and grabbed her chin.
"Watch your tone little girl" he snarled at her.
"Let me go!" she tried to jerk her face away but his grip was like iron.
"You're not in a position to be giving orders, Elena" he hissed at her.
"How do you know my name?" she shouted at him.
Before he had a chance to answer, she brought her arm up and shoved her elbow down on the arm holding her in place. The move was smart and he was surprised at how strong she was. Still, her efforts were in vain and in a flash he had her pinned with her face against the wall and her arm twisted behind her back. He spun her around to face him again, forcing her dark brown eyes to meet his. Damon put his body as close as to hers as he could without actually touching and placed his hands on either side of her head so she couldn't look away from him.
"Stay. Right. Where. You. Are" he compelled her.
He watched her eyes grow large when the veins on his face began to pop up and stir wildly under his skin. He heard her suck in a tiny gasp as his eyes turned an evil shade of red. The blood was pumping rapidly through her veins. He could hear her heart fluttering in her chest like a hummingbird's. He inhaled the faint scent of her vanilla perfume mixed with anxiety. It was intoxicating and the razor sharp teeth just under his gums were aching to come out. Just a tiny taste… he thought and started to move one hand down to her throat.
"What are you?" her voice was hoarse and it brought him out of his trance. He bared his fangs at her and growled low in his chest.
Tears popped into her eyes and terror washed over her. Elena let out a strangled cry as one word flashed through her mind. Vampire. She didn't know how she knew but she was sure that she was right. He was actually a vampire. She tried to set aside the impossibility of the situation and forced herself to think. She decided to keep him talking. Maybe she could distract him from eating her.
"Are you going to kill me?" she heard her voice shake and she hated it.
Her uncle had taught her never to fear anything. He taught her to get back up, no matter how many times she got knocked down. Stay calm, think it through. What's your next move? What's the smartest move? She could hear his voice and she was trying to remember her lessons but there was a vampire six inches from her face.
Underneath the fear Elena couldn't help but think he was beautiful, even like this. She'd been trying to pretend she didn't notice the way he looked from the moment she spun around to find him standing there. It was difficult to ignore a face that could have been carved out of marble. The pieces of raven colored hair that hung in his face were begging her to reach out and brush them away. His eyes, oh God, his eyes were hypnotizing her. They seemed to be every shade of blue all at once. The predatory look in them was completely terrifying but enthralling at the same time. She couldn't tear her eyes away from them.
He tilted his head and gave her an odd look. His face returned to normal but he didn't move his body.
"I'm not sure." he told her.
He'd just told her he might kill her and all she could think about was how good he smelled. What the hell is wrong with me? She thought and frantically tried to keep her focus.
"Why can't I move?"
"Because I told you not to, it's a vampire thing." he replied casually.
"Do I get to know your name?" she dared to ask.
"I suppose it's only fair" he said with a tiny smile. "I'm Damon Salvatore."
"Ok, Damon. Why did you kidnap me?" she asked.
"Because I need your blood" he said matter-of-factly.
He was still inches from her face. She could feel his cool breath on her cheeks and his eyes were staring into hers intently, as though he was looking for something. She steeled herself and stared back into the blue depths.
"All of it?" her body started to tremble as she choked out the question.
It seemed to catch him off guard and he pushed away from her.
"I'm not sure about that either" he turned his back on her and stared out the window.
She let go of a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding in.
"You can move now" he said quietly.
The relief of having control of her body back was brief when it occurred to her that he could probably force her to do anything he wanted. Moving gingerly away from the wall, she sat down on the edge of the bed. The tears she'd been trying desperately to hold in were now flowing noiselessly down her cheeks. She refused to break down completely in front of him but everything was hitting her all at once. A thousand questions raced through her mind. Vampires are real? Did Uncle Grayson know about this? Had he been lying to her all this time? Why doesn't Damon know if he's going to kill me? Am I going to die here? Where the hell is 'here'? Oh my God, vampires are real?
She choked back a sob and suddenly he was kneeling down in front of her. He lifted her chin gently with the tip of his finger and she reluctantly met his gaze.
"I…that was stupid of me" it almost sounded like an apology.
"No one is going to hurt you today, or tomorrow, or this week for that matter. I promise."
She shook her head.
"Why should I believe you?"
"Because, for the moment, I need you alive and everyone in this house wants me to get what I need."
"What is it exactly that you need?" she asked him.
It was a loaded question that he wasn't entirely sure how to answer. He stood up and sat next to her on the bed. After a long moment he sighed. You really shouldn't be telling her this he thought.
"I need my brother back" he said.
What the hell, might as well get it out of the way he reasoned with himself.
He heard her take a deep breath and chewed her bottom lip before she spoke again.
"And you need my blood for that?" she'd collected herself enough to return to her game of twenty questions.
"Yes" he confirmed.
"But… not right now?" she asked, her eyebrow raised and an incredulous look on her face.
He couldn't stop the little lopsided grin that crept over his lips. It was obvious that she was not okay, and rightfully so, but for someone who had just learned she'd been kidnapped by a vampire she was surprisingly calm. He couldn't help but admire her for thinking through the panic.
"My witch is incommunicado at the moment and I need her to tell me how much of your blood we need. I also need her to finish telling me the rest of the ingredients for this damned spell" he murmured the last part.
"I'm so confused" he could hear the tears in her voice.
He was disturbed to realize that it bothered him and that he really didn't want her to start crying again.
"I'll explain everything" he promised.
"But first you should get out of your PJ's and take a shower. It's going to be a long night" he gestured toward the door that led to an attached bathroom.
"There are clothes for you in the closet. I'll come back for you in an hour. I'll get you some food and we can talk" Damon stood up and held his hand out to her.
"And you'll tell me everything?" she sounded skeptical and she ignored his hand and pushed herself to her feet.
"I swear" he said.
He dropped his hand and his eyes moved slowly down her body. The tank top and shorts she was wearing left little to the imagination. He smirked at her, pleased at the blush on her cheeks.
"Cute PJ's" he told her and disappeared through the door.
The image of her blushing cheeks had him smiling as he walked down the stairs. Damon was finding the idea of killing her less appealing by the minute. Both the idea of killing her and not wanting to kill her troubled him. The moment he hit the bottom of the stairs his musing were interrupted by a blonde blur and suddenly he was halfway down the hall on his ass.
"Seriously? Have you lost your mind?" Caroline Forbes' pretty face was furious as she shouted at him from the other end of the hall.
He didn't care what he'd done, no one shoved him in his house and he was on her in a flurry of movement. A fraction of a second later, he had her pinned to the wall and dragged her up by her neck.
"Have you lost your mind, Blondie?" he sneered at her.
"Put me down!" she gasped, clawing at his hands.
"What is with everyone thinking they can order me around today?" but he dropped her anyway.
She rubbed her neck and glared at him.
"What's got you in such a good mood? Oh wait, I know. You kidnapped someone!" the sarcasm in her voice grated on his nerves and he stormed off before he decided to break her neck.
She followed him to the parlor. At least she waited until he'd had a taken a sip of his bourbon before she started in on him again.
"So? Are you going to tell me why you kidnapped John Gilbert's daughter? She has nothing to do with any of this, Damon. She's innocent."
"Don't you think I know that?" he snapped.
He finished his drink in an uncharacteristic single gulp and sat down on the couch with his head in his hands.
"We have to get him back, Caroline." He whispered.
He felt her sit down next to him.
"Not if it means killing an innocent girl. You know he wouldn't want that. And don't you dare say he wouldn't have to know. He'd find out. You two suck at lying to each other." Her voice was so sure and steady, sometimes he understood why his brother kept her around and why their best friend, Klaus, had fallen for her.
"What if it's the only way?" he looked up at her desperately.
"Then we don't do it" she said firmly.
He shook his head and stood up to pace the room.
"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not going to leave him like that!" he yelled.
He looked up at the clock and swore.
"What? You have somewhere to be?" she asked.
"No, I have to make the girl some food" he said with a sigh.
He poured another drink and headed for the kitchen, knowing his little blonde nightmare was right behind him.
"Damon, promise me you won't kill her" she pleaded.
"I can't do that" he said stubbornly as he moved expertly through the kitchen.
"Ugh why are you so frustrating? I am in love with the most frustrating man on the planet and you still manage to drive me nuts."
She whirled around to leave, only to find the object of her affections behind her.
"Hello, love"
The man with the sandy colored curls and a secret smile moved forward to wrap his arms around Caroline. Damon wanted to gag.
"Will you please talk some sense into him?" Caroline pleaded and batted her eyelashes at Klaus.
Damon slammed a pan down on the stove and turned around.
"Hey Blondie, why don't you go make nice with our guest and bring her down for dinner" it didn't come out as a question.
"But you're not done cooking" she pouted.
"It'll be done in a few minutes. I'm sure you'll find something to talk to her about while I cook" he gritted out.
She opened her mouth to speak but he gave her a dark look.
She rolled her eyes at him.
"Fine."
Klaus pulled her back for a quick kiss and watched her walk away. Damon could practically feel the scorn coming from his old friend.
"What have you done now?"
"Exactly what I told you I was going to do" Damon replied.
"Ah yes. I take it you've figured the rest out then?"
"Well…almost. You should get a drink and sit down."
Elena took the longest shower of her life. She stood under the scalding hot water and tried very hard to remain calm but in the end she broke down and cried harder than she could ever remember crying before. One minute her only worry in the world was a grouchy uncle and the next she was in a strange house with a mythical creature she'd never even imagined could be real. Reluctantly, she'd turned off the water and stepped out to find clothes. She was just pulling on a long sleeve shirt when the knock at the door came. Her heart leaped and she swallowed thickly. Why would he knock?
"Come in?" she said uncertainly.
The door clicked open and a pretty blonde girl with a friendly smile poked her head in.
"Uh, hi." Elena said awkwardly.
The girl bounded across the room and held out her hand.
"Hi! I'm Caroline."
Elena grasped her hand and Caroline shook it enthusiastically. Her face was so genuine she couldn't help but smile back.
"I'm Elena."
"I know" she said quickly. "Damon sent me to get you for dinner."
Elena thought about the implications of that statement and cringed a little.
Caroline's hand flew to her mouth.
"Not like that! I swear. I'm so sorry. I don't think before I say things" she blurted out "I think he made pasta."
Elena nodded slowly.
"Are you a….?" the question got lost in her throat.
Caroline seemed unfazed.
"Vampire? Yep! But I don't hurt people so you're safe with me. Promise"
She flashed her warm smile again and Elena found she liked her already.
"Does Damon hurt people?" she tried to sound brave but she was pretty sure it came out in a squeak.
The blonde let out a heavy sigh before she answered in a defeated voice.
"Not as often as he used to."
Elena opened her mouth to speak and then closed it before deciding she wasn't sure she wanted to know any more on that subject. Nevertheless, she needed answers and Caroline clearly had them so she pressed on.
"So do you know why I'm here?"
Caroline looked down at her hands and faltered with the answer.
"Yes…"
"Will you explain it to me?" Elena implored.
"I can't but Damon will explain everything. If he leaves anything out I swear I'll fill it in."
"Okay" Elena said quietly and tried to turn the conversation around once more.
"How do you know Damon?"
"He's my best friend's brother" Caroline replied sadly.
The grief lasted all of two seconds before she recovered and the smile returned.
"We should go before Damon starts to get impatient."
"God forbid" Elena muttered.
She thought she saw a tiny smile cross Caroline's face before she turned and opened the door.
When they stepped out into the hallway, Elena got her first glimpse of the house. It was even bigger than she'd imagined. Everything looked very old and very expensive. She was gaping at the grandeur of it all and nearly tumbled down the stairs before Caroline caught her arm.
"It's pretty isn't it?" she asked.
Elena could only nod in reply.
Caroline giggled and grabbed Elena's hand.
"Come on, slow poke!"
She couldn't stop the giggle that bubbled up from her lips as she struggled to keep up with the vampire dragging her down the hall. They finally skittered to a halt in front of a doorway that led to an expansive kitchen. Two men sat at the large island running down the center of the kitchen, both holding a glass of amber liquid in their hands. One of them was Damon and the other she didn't recognize. Their voices were hushed as she and Caroline approached.
"Secrets don't make friends" Caroline teased.
She crept up behind the attractive blonde man Elena didn't know and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Hello, Caroline"
The stranger spoke with a distinctly British accent and the way he said her name made Elena think he and the blonde were not just friends. Her suspicions were confirmed when he leaned back into her and Caroline planted a kiss on his forehead.
"Elena, this is Klaus. The love of my life" she beamed down at him as she said it.
Klaus seemed to notice Elena for the first time and when he really looked at her, he gawked at her in awe. His stormy colored eyes flashed to Damon and then back to her several times. It somewhat unnerving.
"Hello… Elena" he said, finally.
"Hi" she answered tentatively.
He looked back at Damon and chuckled.
"Oh my friend, what have you gotten yourself into?"
Damon shook his head and finished the glass of what Elena assumed was whiskey.
Klaus stood and took Caroline's arm.
"Sweetheart, why don't we give these two a minute to talk?" he said, his voice cool.
"But…" Caroline started to protest and for a moment Elena was relieved.
She didn't want to be alone with the blue eyed demon that made her pulse race. Her hopes were dashed when Klaus cut her off.
"Damon has promised me that no harm will come to her and he will answer every single question she has" he tried to appease as he started to pull her away.
"I…alright but I'm giving her a tour of the house tomorrow. So she had better be here tomorrow."
The statement was directed pointedly at Damon. Caroline's blue eyes met Elena's and silently apologized as Klaus all but dragged her from the room.
That left the two of them. She gathered her courage and looked over at him. She cursed herself when his eyes stole her breath again. It wasn't just the impossible shade of blue that sent her heart into overdrive. It was the way he looked at her, like he might devour her at any moment. Calm down, take a deep breath. You can do this. She thought to herself and tried to put on a smile.
"Caroline said something about pasta?"